Best known as the Opportunity Expert based on my proprietary leadership methodology called, "the immigrant’s perspective” that defines the characteristics to be a 21st century leader. This methodology promotes the idea of leading through a lens of opportunity – that is enabled through a mindset of continuous survival, renewal and reinvention. That if leaders embrace the immigrant’s perspective, they will have a distinct advantage in business by being able to see and seize previously unseen opportunities, and opportunities others don’t see at all. I am a former C-suite corporate executive and entrepreneur of several successful companies – my firm (Glenn Llopis Group) is a thought-leadership, human capital and business strategy consultancy. We enable corporations to develop their leadership identity to further define and implement go-to-market strategies. Most of my writings, speaking engagements and consulting assignments focus on leadership, change management, Hispanics in America, career advancement, marketing diversity management, entrepreneurship, business development and turn-around operations. I am the author of Earning Serendipity: 4 Skills for Creating and Sustaining Good Fortune in Your Work; Why a Personal Employee Brand will Save Your Career and Your Workplace, Preparing U.S. Leadership for the Cultural Demographic Shift, Awakening the Latino Factor and Women Must Dive In, Not Just Lean In. I make frequent appearances on local and national TV, including CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC, and Univision. Circle me on Google+

The Most Undervalued Leadership Traits Of Women

It’s impossible to respect, value and admire great leadership if you can’t identify what makes a leader great. Because of this, the identity crisis I have written about that exists in today’s workplace is something that women leaders in particular have been facing for much too long. While the tide is changing and more women are being elevated into leadership roles, there is still much work to do. As of July 2013, there were only 19 female elected presidents and prime ministers in power around the globe. In the business world, women currently hold only 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions and the same percentage of Fortune 1000 CEO positions. As women continue their upward trajectory in the business world, they have yet to be fully appreciated for the unique qualities and abilities they bring to the workplace.

Like many who grow up with a Hispanic upbringing, I was surrounded by strong-willed, hardworking and purpose-driven women. It is through their leadership that the traditions, values and legacy of our family have been upheld. My grandmother, mother, wife, and sister-in-law all possess natural leadership skills and they are masters of opportunity management – seamlessly keeping us all in check while running the family household and at the same time supporting our family businesses. They have taught me that a woman’s instincts and emotional intelligence can be off the chart. They seamlessly manage crisis and change and are turnaround experts – sensing and neutralizing any signs of danger well before it invades our path. It is because of the women in our family that we are well-organized, full of love, spiritually aligned and well-balanced. We are by no means a perfect family, but we are a modern family who embraces traditions even as we adapt to changing times.

It can be difficult for a man to understand how women think, act and innovate unless he has been closely influenced by the women in his life. I’ve learned that women may process things differently and in their own terms. Fortunately for me, I’ve been influenced by great women who made me appreciate their approach towards leadership. I’ve grown to understand their decision-making processes, the dynamics and subtleties of their personality and style, and other special character qualities that women possess.

The best women leaders I know have circular vision that enables them to be well-rounded people. For example, they have their finger on the pulse of the culture and can talk to you about the latest pop-culture news – but then easily switch gears to give you their perspective on what is taking place on Wall Street. Women leaders seeking a chance to be significant see the world through a lens of opportunity; they are especially in search of those opportunities previously unseen (perhaps this is why the women I know enjoy a good treasure hunt). My experiences have taught me that great women make it a point to teach men about women.

I’ve seen women run the show for years both at home and in the workplace, which has enabled me to recognize behavior patterns and see the value behind their way of doing things. These women are master multi-taskers and highly collaborative (though not afraid to get territorial to protect their domain). They enjoy their own space to test themselves and find their own rhythm. These women leaders are like scientists: many of them want to make new discoveries or solve for problems where others have failed. The women leaders I’ve been around don’t stop pursuing until the job gets done. This is why I believe they are good collaborative leaders – not afraid of trial and error as long as they continue to build the resource infrastructure around them that gets them closer towards accomplishing their goals. As one of my women mentors told me, “Without enough of the right resources around me, I will not risk the outcome. I know the resources I need to get the job done right. I’d rather be patient than foolish.”

The women leaders I know invest in themselves and become knowledge seekers. They are not afraid to ask questions when given a safe platform to express themselves. For example, during my keynote and conference appearances – more often than not – it is the women who ask me the most questions and they are also more inspired to adopt new ideas and ideals. Though extremely curious, it’s often balanced with a bit of skepticism – after all, they don’t want to be fooled or taken advantage of. My experiences have taught me that women leaders need to trust a person before they will endorse what they have to say. Many just want to know that there is legitimacy behind the opportunity.

As I’ve learned from my women bosses and mentors, they want things to be authentic yet practical. These women leaders enjoy a good challenge – and seek to find meaning and purpose from each circumstance they face and opportunity they are given. They like to see and understand the connectivity of thoughts and how they work or why they don’t. They want all the facts and figures before making important decisions.

Competitiveness amongst themselves may really be about looking for validation — an identity that matters and a voice that is heard. Successful women leaders don’t rely on favors; they earn respect and truly believe they can influence their own advancement by serving others. Consummate team players, they also seek to prove their value and self-worth by exceeding performance expectations.. Looking for respect more than recognition, the most successful women leaders don’t seek to become the star of the show — but they enable others to create a great show. In other words, being in the spotlight is not what drives them – but rather it’s the ability to influence positive outcomes with maximum impact.

One thing is certain: these women leaders understand survival, renewal and reinvention. They have grit and are not afraid to fight for what they believe in or an opportunity to achieve something of significance. They believe in what they stand for, but that doesn’t mean they won’t put their ideas and ideals to the test. For them, doing more with less is simply a matter of knowing how to strategically activate those around them.

While women leaders have their productivity secrets, it’s not secret where they come from: the leadership traits that women leaders naturally possess and – based on my personal and professional experiences – are the most undervalued.

1. Opportunity-driven

When confronted with a challenge, the women I know look for the opportunity within. They see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty. They push the boundaries and, when faced with adverse circumstances, they learn all they can from it. Optimism is their mindset because they see opportunity in everything.

Estée Lauder, the child of Hungarian immigrant parents, was quite the opportunist in the cosmetics industry. During the postwar consumer boom, women wanted to start sampling cosmetic products before buying them. Lauder noticed and responded to this shifting dynamic by pioneering two marketing techniques that are commonly used today: the free gift and the gift-with-purchase. It’s exactly this type of inventiveness that other women use to pursue the opportunities in front of them.

2. Strategic

Women see what often times others don’t see. As one of my women mentors told me, “A woman’s lens of skepticism oftentimes forces them to see well beyond the most obvious details before them. They enjoy stretching their perspective to broaden their observations. Many women are not hesitant to peel the onion in order to get to the root of the matter.”

At times they “play the part” to test the intentions of others and to assure that they are solidly grounded and reliable. Successful women leaders know how to play the game when they have to – and can anticipate the unexpected. They know what cards to play and keenly calculate the timing of each move they make.

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn a woman leader made the word “organic” a business term. I learned that women who enjoy the ebbs and flows of business activity also know that the best things are accomplished when they are done naturally – and unforced. When things are happening organically, this means that they are functioning within a natural rhythm and speed – that is safer and risk adverse.

This is not to say that women are uncomfortable with risk – in fact, they will often tackle risk head-on in order to get to the root cause of a problem and to solve for it (they value time and money). Women leaders who don’t allow their egos to stand in the way of good business are in the mindset of getting things done for the betterment of a healthier whole.

3. Passionate

While women in general were historically viewed and stereotyped as emotional leaders by men, I believe they are just passionate explorers in pursuit of excellence. When women leaders are not satisfied with the status quo, they will want to make things better. These women leaders get things done and avoid procrastination. As another one of my women mentors said, “They enjoy order and stability and a genuine sense of control. Many women have learned not to depend upon others for their advancement and thus have a tendency to be too independent. A woman’s independent nature is her way of finding her focus and dialing up her pursuits.”

When these women leaders are locked into what they are searching for – move out of the way. Their passionate pursuits allow them to become potent pioneers of new possibilities. No wonder minority women represent the largest growing segment of entrepreneurs. According to a report by the Center for Women’s Business Research, U.S. Hispanic and African American women entrepreneurs grew at rates of 133.3% and 191.4% respectively from 1997 to 2007.

4. Entrepreneurial

Entrepreneurship is just a way of life for many women. They can be extremely resourceful, connect the dots of opportunity and become expert in developing the relationships they need to get the job done. Many women leaders also see through an entrepreneurial lens to best enable the opportunities before them. They know that to create and sustain momentum requires 100% focus on the objective – and so they don’t enjoy being disrupted by unnecessary noise and distractions.

As one of my former women bosses told me, “Women can play into the politics of the workplace, and do so if it means adding value to the momentum they are attempting to create.”

Many women leaders find excitement and motivation by being extremely creative and resourceful when completing tasks and other duties and responsibilities –. They avoid falling too far behind on projects – knowing that if they do it will disrupt their focus and momentum. That is why I learned never to disrupt a woman’s focus and concentration if I can avoid it.

My former female boss continued by saying, “This is why women like control. Not necessarily to be in charge, but to not lose the rhythm or compromise the momentum they need to accomplish their goals.”

5. Purposeful and Meaningful

I have found that many women leaders enjoy inspiring others to achieve. They know what it’s like to be the underdog and work hard not to disappoint themselves and others. Women leaders in particular often have high standards and their attention to detail makes it difficult for others to cut corners or abuse any special privileges.

Women leaders with a nurturing nature are good listeners and excellent networkers/connecters. They enjoy creating ecosystems and support a collaborative leadership style that melds the thinking and ideas of others; this is what multiplies the size of an opportunity and/or its speed in execution in order to create a larger sphere of influence and overall impact. Women who don’t have to be right all the time make good consensus builders and will more likely enjoy participating in a team environment.

6. Traditions and Family

Whether at home or at work, women are often the glue that keeps things together and that is why they represent great leadership for America’s future. When they sense growing tensions that can lead to potential problems or inefficiencies, the most successful women leaders enjoy taking charge before circumstances force their hand. Women are usually the ones to secure the foundational roots of the family and to protect family and cultural traditions from wavering. They provide the leadership within the home and in the workplace to assure that legacies remain strong by being fed with the right nutrients and ingredients.

To the great women in my personal and professional life, thank you for the opportunity to be inspired and mentored by your leadership (you know who you are). I’ve read many things about women in the workplace and their lack of advancement into senior executive roles and in the boardroom. Rarely have I read something from a man who has been inspired and influenced by the wisdom of a woman’s leadership. Hopefully this perspective helps awaken more of us to the opportunity of learning about leadership from the women in our lives, whether in the home or at work.

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Hey there Glenn and thanks for this article, it provides an interesting perspective.

I’m curious, though, why it is that you say those traits you have identified are traits of women leaders in particular, and not just leaders in general. With the possible exception of the last (which I’ve got to admit I’m not too convinced is a leadership trait at all) aren’t these qualities you have described ones which both men and women leaders have?

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Now, here’s something I totally agree-with, and while many Men support women for many top leadership roles, such as, Men behind Woman CEO and President, Prime Ministers and other top-jobs, the same Top-Women is caught-up promoting other Women just in public speeches, and not truly meaning-it, as they go-in and see right away that they have Women who are real good and was deserving, and is a threat, so the Men around these Powerful women is caught-up doing lots of so-call promotional praises, and one can call them dirty works. There’s Women who (on a daily basis), become a CEO, and right away (because she does not know how, where, what and when to start, and would immediately pick a clan, and the picks will think they are in the right place, and will silently, UN-knowingly be teaching the new CEO to walk a line, and the real deserving ones are victimized, and so-on! I always support Women in leadership positions, but this here’s lots-of cosmetics… similar to the terms: Dead Beat Fathers, Single Moms, bartered Women and etc… As-if, none of those apply to women. I have seen Men in all of those same situations, and they bite the bullet, however, I am seeing a current situation, and its like a chain reaction, where A Government Private sector company, formed another company within it, creating two Board of Directors, CEO’s, President and VP etc., a bunch of Managers to manage 1 and two persons, have their Friend’s Friends’ and connections put into top places, allow a Manager to resign, and then hire HER-back (the resign Manager), as a consultant, and then to a VP all within three weeks or so (all of whom is women). And that new CEO that came in, after one week, went on a vacation, and then she spent 1M USD as soon as taking up the post, have made a decision of sponsoring of a Game (being played currently), that will never benefit anyone in the region, and the Game is named after the 2nd highest sponsor who offered .8M USD (yes), a bad call because time did not permit her to learn a job she is not fit to do, and lots of people Man/Women use the internet to con themselves into the Title. Now, the Company in question, business is to sell the Country to overseas. So a regular sales-woman was hire as CEO to sell a country and promote investments and the people in the organizations (two-in-one company), who have 8 and 10 years doing a great job, have become women victims of Political victimization by women in every angle from an entire country, and they are getting false praises internationally all because of the people abroad who is praising and awarding do not have a clue of the false and cunning on-going situations in many places worldwide. Mr Hargreaves is saying some things the Author needs to look-into before signing-off on an article that seem to be questionable. The story above is a dangerous place, if you only have a clue that a woman coming in a new place to lead a multi M & B dollar system, and immediately encourage the outgoing not to fly back to where you came, and set up a consultancy to consult the new CEO, then you hire her permanent to a top job (all not in their line, as they are protected), and right away (as-well), you are saying to the ladies they both met there, you already know who you will like and who not! Women vs Women Power! OMG, its worst than I wrote-it!

The first thing I thought was… you must know me! I feel 100% identified with everything you said. Wouldn’t this description be true for women leaders from other cultures as well though? Thank you for sharing this great article.

Very well-written, beautiful article on women’s leadership traits. I strongly believe women are better leaders than men, as they truly understand the team dynamics of an organization, know how to manage tasks and people like they do at home, and juggle between a variety of topics with much ease. Even though a world of opportunities have opened up for women, they still face challenges to reach the top. It might be due to lack of confidence or limited support from family or biased leaders or processes in organizations. Women have to push themselves, stretch their limits, and take charge of their career to realize their dreams. Siri Sood – Credible and High Performance Leader in Information Design, Development, and Delivery, Communications Mentor, Diversity and Networking Champion, Bangalore

Great insight Glenn. I teach and direct leadership in a global setting. In our seminars, young female leaders make up 50% of the audience. Women are beginning to surface as dominant leaders for the very reasons you mentioned. The young female leaders around the world are fierce and courageous. Look out boys, you are in trouble. Remember the joke about “Nerds”? “Be kind to Nerds because you will probably be working for one some day.” Now we have a new commandment. “Be kind to Girls because you WILL be working for one some day.” SOON! I learned about girls early. I married a high spirited female athlete (tennis) and we have three high spirited daughters. I have a son too and he is learning like me.

People always forget that fundamentally we’re all human and any biological differences we have affect our mental state in a fairly minimal way. We like to mystify things that we personally can’t relate to.

People want to think that cultural trends = science, so you’re fighting an uphill battle with that argument.

As an African woman I know too well, the challenges women face both at home and in the work place.

I was raised to understand that the success of my siblings depends on me. With that psychological belief, propelling me, i became a natural leader at an early age, serving as a role model and trying to live an exemplary life. It is the only thing I know how to do.

Over the years, I have been privileged to work in managerial positions and have contributed to the success and growth of various organisation’s be it paid or volunteer. I have experienced first hand how under appreciated our role as women can get when compared to our male counterparts.

I am particularly impressed by your write up and I know you speak the mind of all those men out there who have been positively influenced by the women in their lives.

Thank you for your sincerity and for not allowing the “male ego” cloud your sense of judgment. Most importantly for letting us know our true worth. God bless you!

Great article! It presents some interesting insights about Leadership traits of women. I really enjoyed reading about those traits and I really appreciate them and I hope that all men realize those traits and appreciate them too. I believe that all those traits are absolutely true because I have noticed them in my wife and in the women teachers who taught me at various stages of my life. I have also worked in places with women leaders and I have found that some of them are more successful than men in many workplace-related aspects and maybe that is because they like to be more organized and more accurate than men.

I am so tired of articles that treat women as a homogeneous group. The complementary thesis of the article does not make it any more appropriate. I am a successful female leader who leads with an entirely different approach than described here. Other female leaders in my roganization are also not like this article and not like me. Female leaders should not be trying to “teach men about women” but only about themselves – the only thing they really know. People should get to know the leadership strengths and weaknesses of men and women on an individual basis, rather than expecting that their leadership approach, or any other aspect of their ability to lead (or lack thereof) is somehow attached to gender. Eliminating stereotypes, not replacing them with seemingly more pleasant ones, is the better way to end gender inequality.

Wow! This is truly what I should have just commented-on, in general: Women-Men. I was telling an actual something I noticed and after talking to a few people did some research, and had to tell that story that only started in Dec last, and the problem is growing, so I am going back to that country to follow the results (people I know is being victimize), it’s a gang-up of those who do not know, and got the power of tax payers dollars to victimize the ones in the know, in the name of political conning!

This guy has a lot of good things to say about women in management, but he starts our with the following statement: “Like many who grow up with a Hispanic upbringing, I was surrounded by strong-willed, hardworking and purpose-driven women. It is through their leadership that the traditions, values and legacy of our family have been upheld. My grandmother, mother, wife, and sister-in-law all possess natural leadership skills and they are masters of opportunity management – seamlessly keeping us all in check while running the family household and at the same time supporting our family businesses.”

What bothers me about this is that, no where does he say the women in the family run the family businesses. According to him, women are “masters of opportunity management” – I interpret this as women “when the opportunity to manage hits, grab it but then go back into the kitchen and run the household. Until men and women share all responsibllities of the home and women have equal opportunity in the work place, we will remain a chauvinistic society. Here is your laugh for the day – I bet if men could get pregnant, overpopulation would not be a problem. Women are still expected to have kids, take care of them for 18 and sometimes more years, but daddy will teach them to drive, but women need to wait on daddy 24/7 – prepare his meals, iron his clothes, and on and on. Why is it that women have to multi-task – take on duties both in the home and at the job?

rr – I agree with you 150% – Gender stereotyping has been around forever and until it changes, women will not receive equity in the work place. The women’s movement of the late 60′s and early 70′s recognized this along with hundreds, perhaps thousands of other things but not much has changed for women. Sad, but true. I am retired after working 50+ years in the nonprofit field, but have to go back to work as I can’t live on social security and a small pension. Nonprofit work has never been very rewarding financially, except for CEO’s and CFO’s whom at least 70% or more are men. Women have been robbed, but until we ban together, we will not be liberated. We need more women in politics to work across the aisles rather than fighting like most of the little boys and some women.

Glenn Great insight into women leadership strengths. I don’t think any of us, men or women; take the time to sit back, breath and reflect on our strengths and qualities that we bring personally or professionally. We get stuck sometimes in the “doing”. Thank you for the great “pause” in my day and the reminder to be intentional to use personal strengths! Janelle

It’s amazing how the most fundamental traits of leading a family translate into the workplace. There is an under-appreciation of that. Regardless of gender, these traits you mention are required for effective leadership.

While yes, men can and do possess these traits, there is value in dialogue around this topic. We simply need the number of women in all leadership roles to grow.

Thanks for making such a clear and succinct case for women’s unique abilities and skills. I particularly enjoyed your references to Latinas, who, contrary to outdated beliefs, are poised to be recognized as an untapped force in business and politics today. This was the theme of my article in 2013 Latina Leaders: An Untapped Business force where I interviewed three C-level business leaders at major companies who also happen to be women and Latinas. They exemplify the traits you discussed.

You do not do women any favors by stereotyping them. I’m sure you mean well, but the list of traits that you mention are equally well applicable to male leaders. Drop the gender stereotyping and you have a halfway decent article.

Oh Wow, its all so simple, and well-said. This too was what I was trying to say. I could not have said-it better. Every-one who knows-me, know that I support Women in top position for decades, a matter of fact. I voted and help for the first time, A Woman Prime Minister to lead, and what happen in 2.5 years of 5? She founded a Cabal and heaven help-us all!

Thank you so much for writing this article – I am currently writing a book on this exact subject – with particular emphasis on Single Mum’s and Mum’s returning back to work who may have forgotten or may not appreciate the highly valuable skills they possess and have continued to develop as they nurtured their young children.

First thank you for this article. It was a great motivator for me today. In healthcare, women leaders are all around us. I felt that your article was right on target for how many mid-level and senior level women healthcare adminstrators are feeling today. I totally agree that women look for respect before the fan fare. Thank you for writing about the characteristics of women leaders. We certainly need to be more understood and better respected. Give us the space and respect and we can become movers and shakers of any challenge.

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What a great article! I hope we see the numbers continue to increase and see more women in senior positions and valued for what they contribute to the business world. You’ve left me feeling positive this morning and with a sense that I can go out amd achieve whatever I want!

Leadership is leadership. Male or female, what makes a leader are traits that span both age and gender. As an executive coach who has worked with many top executives from companies large and small, what I have seen is leadership is about how you think, respond, and act. Whether you wear a skirt or slacks is not, and should not be part of the discussion. Loraine Antrim, Core Ideas Communication.

I appreciate your message and thank you for sharing your story. My perspective as a woman though is that not all women “naturally possess” these traits. For that matter, I’ve met men or have male family members who demonstrated these traits more effectively than some of the women. The only point here is that not all women think and act the same and neither do all men. I see it as stereotyping when we make blanket personality trait statements based on gender. No two women – or men – are exactly alike so my preference would be to say “some people” and not restrict cognitive development or assign personality traits to one gender or the other.

The author has shown only the one-positive side of a woman’s traits! It is a well known adage that “there is a woman behind a man’s success”, and the opposite is also better known to some who had suffered when they say “it was a woman for his destruction in life”! Women are Godly gifted with a rare sense of penetration into a man’s heart where even a man himself might not be able to know more closely the murmering of his own heart. With such superlative inherent skills a woman can achieve better results the world-over than a man would ever dream of doing it. WW-II war results would have been entirely different but for the potential and significant roles which were performed by women in grabbing secrets from even the hardened Nazi-generals! Of course, this 21st century ought to be a benchmark for the women the world-over and men-folks need to shed their prejudices against the women-folk treating them as if they were meant for procreation or were meant just for taking care of kitchens/families. It is a woman who has to live with her man upon marriage leaving behind her own parents home to build bridges in the new environments of her husband’s family, where she is required to handle several challenging issues pertaining to the management of families of her husband’s-side and that of her own parents side which job itself is extremely tough to handle. Their unique sense of modesty,grace,cultured-skills help them to transform any business/job to become a successful venture. Let’s wait for the time when a woman is allowed to wear a more challenging job to become a President of the USA and to give this country a true leadership, and resolve its financial-crisis. Its time our men-folk to shed their prejudices against a woman donning a Presidential-cap for the USA!

The Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad & Tobago Gauri Shankar Gupta said on Sunday Jan 26, 2014. (as reported in the T&T NEWSDAY on Monday 01/27/2014), when asked about improving Women’s rights, Gupta said the country is working on reintroducing respect for women. He spoke of all kinds of Big-up going-on in India, technology and the works, and then when I read his answer to the question, it was so tasteless, and found-it to be a sad day in this era! That’s what is needed to be address, instead of this sort of comparison/competition in the real world since it’s all about the USA and who is President, and not, there is a big wide world with all sorts of cultures, confusing educated and cultivated people with systems, mixing the old with the new, who can and can-not do certain things, and getting a bit of westernized, and making a real cook-up off other kinds of cultures and rules mixing with today, and the story will go on and on, and the writers will just try to understand what they don’t have a clue off, and write and will get a few customers and what ever. The Picture is much bigger than the personal things you feel and know. All anyone have to do Man-Woman, just go for it, Woman is moving-on, that is good.’What’s the big deal again’?

Thank you, Gllen for the valuable article on “undervalued leadership traits of Women”. Another salient and unique power is “feeding the world”. All human beings are fed by women before being born even. Thus, women are naturally best leaders for food and nutrition security.

Women are individual human beings with varying work styles, personalities, expectations, habits, intelligence, work ethic, etc. And brace yourself. Here’s something that may surprise you – female leaders differ from each other to the same degree that men do!

Your broad generalities are reductive. You tip your hand most obviously with this sentence: “I’ve grown to understand their decision-making processes, the dynamics and subtleties of their personality and style, and other special character qualities that women possess.”

You imply that all women possess a single “personality and style,” as if the women you have encountered all think and act alike, have the same leadership styles, the same skill sets, and the same interests. Do they really, or have you simply stereotyped them in a flattering way? It rings hollow. If you are sincere, how about choosing a particular female leader you admire and writing about her?

Glenn, earlier in my 45 year business career I began to sense something about the differences in dealing with men and women in the workplace. It developed into a generalization (usually those are dangerous but it’s what I’ve experienced) that women have an advantage over men.

It ‘s my experience that others, both men and women, develop a feeling of trust in a woman sooner than they will in a man. And with that trust comes more open and meaningful communication and with that comes the ability to make decisions.

How do I explain this? Well history has it that in our ancestors’ times, while the male “hunters” were doing their thing, the women were tending the home, hearth and children. And in current times our children are predominantly nurtured by a woman early in their lives and, at least in my view, we developed a trust and that trust is carried into our adult lives.

Our hometown team, the Seattle Seahawks, is comprised of terrific male athletes and coaches. The players are know for their physical strength, skill and boldness (what offensive opponent wants to get hit by Kam Chancellor? what defensive opponent wants to try bring down Marshawn Lynch?). Russell Wilson’s comments about his father’s gifts not withstanding, most of those team members who have spoken publicly have focused their thanks on their mothers’ nurturing.

We’d like to introduce the Women Transforming Leadership Programme – http://goo.gl/lGQldu This pioneering programme builds heightened self-awareness, and offers a rare opportunity for women to discuss and overcome personal or professional obstacles as they move through their career. It introduces powerful experiential techniques to identify and navigate through organisational challenges or bias, and builds strengths in leadership enhanced by natural tendencies women bring to the role. Be prepared to experiment and try things out in this environment of rich peer learning.

Glenn, thank you for the article. I appreciate your work, and the style with which you write.

Isn’t this an important topic! And one that we need to get right.

Let me offer a few observations and beliefs that come from the working world.

1. Women are no more”natural leaders” than are men. 2. There are activities women are naturally good at that can serve them well in a leadership role – with training and experience. For example, women naturally make terrific retail store managers. 3. A bad leader who’s a woman is a far worse nightmare to work for than a crummy leader who is a man.

We need advocates who will invite us into the hard work of opportunity, not a blanket desire to put women into leadership roles because they are underrepresented.

Again, thank you for your always insightful, quality writing, and for the passion you bring to the discussion!

Are these traits exclusive to women? Do successful men have the traits of being; opportunity-driven, strategic, passionate, entrepreneurial, purposeful and meaningful, and have strong cultural traditions and family values? I believe these are strong personality traits of any successful leader, man or woman. I think you’d have a hard time finding very many successful leaders in the business world without most of these traits. This was a great leadership article. I agree with everything the author is saying, except for the “Of Women” part of it. I’m glad he directed towards a group of people. Articles seem to garnish more attention that way, but let’s all of us, men and women, work towards these leadership traits if that’s where you want to be in a company..